Chapter 3 2. Empty mansion

It can be said that the Inagaki store was booming as soon as it opened, and it was always full of people until the end of get off work at five o'clock.However, the people who came to visit were not customers who came to patronize, but all came to apply for female office workers.But Inagaki was still happy, as if he was doing a pleasant job, and patiently repeated the same answer to the young girls who came to visit one by one: "I'm sorry, the person we were looking for in the newspaper has been found." However, only the last girl who came to the door was an exception. The girl was about the same age as the seventeen or eighteen years old required in the recruitment notice. She was wearing a lively and pretty dress, with a round cap pressed low over her eyes, and her flesh-colored socks reflected the sparkle.

Inagaki's eyes were hidden behind round glasses, squinted (this seems to be his habit, he always squints sleepily, if those eyes suddenly widen, it would be really scary.) Looking at the The girl standing straight at the table.That gaze seemed to want to lick her whole body. The girl in front of her was petite, and her muscles were quite tight, but it gave people a feeling that she couldn't grasp it, as if she would deform limply if she hugged her with a little force.The skin on her face is a healthy wheat color, her puppy-like eyes are timid, rolling around, her lips are slightly raised, like charming petals, she is very short, the most attractive thing is that she is not very High nose, is a very characteristic girl.

After looking up and down for a while, Inagaki finally said a sentence that was different from the line repeated several times. "What's your name?" "My name is Yoshie Satomi." The girl is not only not shy, but even reveals a variety of coquettish gestures.Inagaki's eyes narrowed further behind his glasses. "My store has a small staff, so although I am responsible for greeting customers, I actually have to do a lot of things. For example, sorting out products, keeping accounts, and taking on the duties of a secretary, etc., are you okay? But I will pay the salary on a weekly basis, Fifteen yuan a week, can you accept such a condition?"

"Okay, that's fine. I'll do anything you think I can do." "So, do your parents agree? Did you say you wanted to come here before you came out today?" "No, I haven't told my family yet. I just said I was going to a friend's place when I went out today. But I think they will be very happy to know that I was hired by your store, because they have been persuading me to come out and find a job .” Hearing this, a bright light flashed in Inagaki's small eyes, and he stared straight at Yoshie.For some reason, he seemed to be emphasizing something, and asked the exact same question again:

"No one at home knows about your coming here today, right? Have you mentioned it to other friends?" "No, no one said anything. It would be embarrassing if they knew I wasn't accepted." "Very well, then, I've decided to hire you today. But—" As he spoke, he looked up at the clock. "Ah, it's already five o'clock. This store is usually open until five o'clock. Although it's past working hours today, I still want to let you know the location of my home and let you take a look at the goods in the warehouse at home. So if you It’s convenient, please come with me now, okay? Don’t worry, the place is not far away, and it’s a car, so you’ll be there in no time, and you’ll definitely be home in time for dinner.”

"Yes..." Satomi Yoshie was still a little hesitant, but she felt that the owner seemed to be trustworthy regardless of age and character, so she mustered up the courage to answer: "No problem, I'll go with you." "Then, you go out first, let me think about it, please wait for me at the crossroad opposite. I'll pack up here and go." In fact, there was nothing to clean up, but Inagaki used this excuse to send Yoshie out first. And Fang Zhi was only happy for finding a good job, and didn't notice anything wrong at all, but Inagaki's behavior became more and more weird.However, this is nothing compared to his next series of weirdness.

Fang Zhi came to the intersection he designated, and soon a car slid in front of him. "Miss Satomi, come on, get in the car." Fangzhi saw that Inagaki was indeed sitting in that car.Although she felt that what he did was confusing, she had no time to think about it at that time, so she just got into the car. The car drove eastward from Y Town for a while, and when it came to S Town near Ryogoku Bridge, the car stopped.Inagaki said: "I have something to do with a client, so I can introduce you by the way." He let Fangzhi get off the car, ordered the driver to leave, and turned into a narrow alley next to him.After walking a few steps, as if suddenly remembering something, he quickly explained:

"Oops, I almost forgot, that client was away on a trip and wasn't home, I'm so confused today." Next, after turning a few turns in the intricate alleys, he came to the main road and stopped a car again.This time, he drove the car to the opposite west, and after driving about twice the distance, he finally stopped the car at R Town in Maiding District.It was already past five o'clock when they left the office, and it took a lot of time to find clients on the way. At this time, the street lights on both sides were already on. "Sorry for the delay, but it'll be here soon."

After Inagaki finished speaking, he dismissed the driver of the car, and walked into a deserted alley diagonally beside R Town.There are endless walls on both sides, and this should be a quiet residential area.There is almost no one to see on the road, and even the street lights are sparse. Walking in it feels like walking into a huge, dark cave. "If I don't go back, the family will worry..." It was obvious that Fangzhi was an adventurous woman, but for some reason, she suddenly felt a little frightened at this moment, and stood in front of the alley like a cave, hesitating.

"There's only half a town left. Even if you go back now, there won't be much difference in time. Since you've already arrived, let's take a look." Whether she likes it or not, Inagaki strode forward.Most of the time, this young lady named Fangzhi underestimated things too simply, and when encountering obstacles, she simply went all out and took risks.And tonight, her mood was also in an intermediate state, watching two completely different ideas tug of war, but in the end, her eager curiosity got the upper hand, and she still followed this man who was about forty years old and had a somewhat Western taste. gone.

Sure enough, within less than half of the road, there was an elegant courtyard sandwiched between mansions, which was medium in size.There was no light at the door, and it was so dark that the house number could not be seen clearly.There was a rattling sound of the sliding door in the darkness, and Inagaki had already pushed the sliding door open and walked into the dark yard. "My wife may have gone out, this guy is so careless, he didn't even lock the door." While talking, Inagaki groped around in the darkness for a while, and then the entrance light flicked on. About a distance from the gate is the sliding lattice door of the entrance.I saw the two paper doors at the other end brighten, and Inagaki stood in the entrance about three tatami mats and waved to Fang Zhi frequently. Fang Zhi was amazed by the shabby condition of her employer's house.Could it be that Inagaki's wife didn't even lock the door when she went out like the women in the courtyard?Besides, it seems that there is not even a maid at home, and the master has to turn on the light in the entrance by himself when the master comes back. Can he really pay the salary?Thinking of this, she felt more and more uneasy. Afterwards, she was taken into the back room with eight tatami mats, and when she sat down on the floor where there was no cushion in sight, Fang Zhi was not only uneasy, but even had an inexplicable fear in her heart.This house, which Inagaki calls a private house, shouldn't it be an empty house with no one living in it?Fang Zhi's eyes swept over every corner of the house, there was neither a cabinet nor a table, there was no pair of clogs at the entrance, and the alcove in the living room was also empty, with neither hanging scrolls nor any decorations, which was really strange up.From this point of view, he must have lied to the children when he said his wife was out. "You seem to be very scared." Inagaki looked at Fangzhi who was fidgeting, and seemed to be sneering in his heart. He said in a strange tone, "Actually, this is not my home at all, it's just an empty house. I removed the door lock beforehand. As for the light, it's the same. I prepared it myself, ready to light up at any time, are you scared? But now you don’t want to scream or run away, right? But even if you scream, it’s useless, all the nearby mansions are unimaginably big, This is a secluded courtyard. I have locked the door from the inside just now. Even if you want to escape, you may not be able to escape with your slender arms. Do you understand? You are very smart and should be very aware of this situation How to do it and what kind of attitude is best for you. I am a bad person, the so-called bad embryo. If you want to resist me in this weak state, you will fall into my arms, do you understand? Therefore, you How about treating me as the owner of the Inagaki art shop, and you as the female clerk who just applied for the job today, and this is the owner’s home, so let’s stop arguing or turn against each other to waste time, and keep a happy mood and have a good talk Let's talk, how about it?" When Fangzhi heard this, her lips suddenly lost their color, but before Inagaki noticed it, she forcibly swallowed the fear and embarrassment in her heart.Although her heart was still trembling with fear, at least she was able to show a calm look on the surface. She said calmly: "But why come to this strange empty house?" "Good question, you are really smart, and now I can breathe a sigh of relief. You mean why choose such an empty house, wouldn't it be better to open a room in a coffee shop or a restaurant, right? You can ask directly . . . but I have chosen a house in a secluded location for special reasons. You will see why in a moment." Inagaki has always maintained a gentlemanly demeanor, as if chatting with a friend, and his tone is quite stable.It seemed that he knew very well that this attitude was more creepy and frightening than any harsh words.